Minibus Weekly: pre-trip or weekly checks for your minibus
Sunday, May 31st, 2009Your minibus is always there and you can simply jump aboard and use it. Or can you? You might think so but without the regular pre-driving checks it needs, your minibus may let you down, sooner or later. Getting into a weekly routine of checking over your minibus doesn’t take much time or effort and will reward you because your minibus will remain reliable and therefore dependable.
Starting under the bonnet makes sense. Regardless of whether it runs on petrol or diesel, your minibus needs the same under bonnet checks. Such as? Oil and water are an engine’s lifeblood and if either runs low, the engine will suffer. Often, you can check a minibus’s coolant level by looking at the header tank. If the level’s low, top it up but don’t attempt this if the engine is hot – releasing the cap of a hot water system can unleash a scalding geyser.
It’s also wise to check the engine oil level when your minibus’s engine is cold – and when it hasn’t been running for a few minutes. Dipping the oil then will give you an accurate reading and there are usually level marks on the dipstick to give you an idea of how much oil to add. Your minibus handbook will tell you how much oil represents the difference between the ‘low’ and ‘high’ marks. Moreover, it will tell you what kind of oil you should be using and where the fresh oil should be poured into the engine.
Four further level checks apply under the bonnet and three of these are safety-related. The first is the brake fluid level. As with the coolant, the level in the see-though brake fluid reservoir can be directly observed – don’t forget to check the clutch fluid level, if your minibus has a hydraulically operated clutch. The second level to check is that of the power steering fluid. Often, the reservoir has a tiny dipstick under its cap. Level check three concerns the screen wash fluid. Make sure that the bottle is full and if it isn’t, top it up with a mixture of clean water and fresh screen wash fluid. The last of our quartet of under bonnet checks is often overlooked. The level of electrolyte in the battery is important, provided it can be checked (some batteries are no-maintenance items). Should the level be low, replenish the battery’s cells with distilled water – dry batteries are for torches!
Your minibus needs further checks above decks. Keeping the tyres up to pressure goes without saying but don’t forget the spare tyre. While at ground level, look at state of your minibus’s tyres. Are the treads unworn? Any cuts or bulges? Any odd wear patterns? No? Good!
Lastly, lump the remaining aspects under the general heading of glass. Clean the windscreen and all windows. Do the same for the mirrors and finish off by wiping over and checking your minibus’s lights.
Keeping your minibus in top condition using these easy maintenance tasks soon becomes second nature. You should naturally be still more scrupulous if a long trip is in the offing but making your minibus ‘housekeeping’ a regular assignment means you’re likely to nip any trouble in the bud. What’s more, these little chores can preserve your spotless minibus insurance record. Knowing your tyres, lights, glass and under bonnet items are in prime condition means you’re unlikely to suffer an accident or commit a traffic offence through missing a safety-related or legal shortcoming.
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